Reply to Sidewalk in Bethesda to keep kids and adults safe.

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I will get flamed for this but kids need to be taught safety. They can't be ushered across the street by crossing guards. I know things happen and NOTHING can prevent an accident from occurring occasionally but crossing the street is a life skill these kids need to master before something like this happens. Crossing guards who stop traffic for kids to cross are doing them a disservice. They need to learn to cross an intersection that is fully functional.

Again, I know I'll get flamed for this but the crossing guards who stop traffic instead of working with traffic -- i.e., holding the kids on the corner until the light changes and then helping them cross, instead of STOPPING traffic that has the right of way -- don't help them learn this important life skill.

Again, not saying that has anything to do with yesterday's terrible accident -- just an observation I've made since my DC started school.[/quote]

Yes, you're going to get flamed for it.

Kids are going to be kids. Roads need to be designed so that they are safe for kids who are being kids.

Also, PLENTY can be done to prevent crashes.

Also, when there is a crossing guard with a stop sign, drivers do not have the right of way. That's the whole point of having a crossing guard with a stop sign. What's more, most of the crossing guards are at intersections where the law requires drivers to stop for pedestrians. It's just that most drivers do not obey that law. Most drivers probably don't even know about that law.[/quote]

Exactly. Kids need some help with crossing busy roads, before they're old enough to handle it themselves. They will still learn safety, but providing a crossing guard helps prevent horrible accidents like the one with this girl. [/quote]

There are some excellent educational resources at this link for teaching students safe pedestrian and biking practices: https://www.saferoutespartnership.org/safe-routes-school/srts-program/basics. We can all do a lot more to work with our own kids on these safety tips, and probably more via PTAs and other school forums.[/quote]

I'm the PP at the start of this post. One of the things we MUST do is to teach and reenforce -- reenforce, reenforce, reenforce, reenforce. How is a crossing guard stopping traffic that has a green light reenforcing to kids that they should wait for the light to be in their favor? They wait on the sidewalk until the flashing light changes and the street light changes. Yet the crossing guards walk out into oncoming traffic to stop it so they can cross. This does NOT reenforce safety rules.

Also, there are crossing guards at intersections with 4-way stop signs, on roads that have speed limits of 25 mph, stepping out into the street so kids can cross. These are not kids with special needs. They should be able to master simple skills like this.[/quote]

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